Chapter 13
Miriam let Bud Sasser ogle her glistening naked body a while, then went inside and got what she thereafter thought of as 'the' call.
The phone rang just as she came in the door, and she picked it up quickly, hoping it was Cynthia calling to say that she'd arranged a threesome with her husband.
"Hi," Aaron said.
"Well, I thought you'd forgot about me," Miriam said. "I expected you back at the end of the week, and I haven't heard from you in four days. How's the job going?"
"I was in Dallas only two days, Miriam. I've been in San Francisco the rest of the time."
"San Francisco?" They'd talked about vacationing in San Francisco, but she didn't expect him to go there alone. "What are you doing in San Francisco?"
"Working." He let the silence build a few seconds, then said, "Listen, Miriam, I'm not coming back to Denver for a while. I need some time by myself to think, to work things out."
"I didn't know that you had anything to sort out." She felt a fleeting flash of fear. "If you did, you should have talked to me so we could work it out together." A strong sense of intuition immediately replaced the fear. "But I guess that's neither here nor there at this point. You aren't coming back at all, are you?"
"I honestly don't know."
She thought he sounded meek, like a whipped dog with his tail between his legs. Subconsciously, she expected him to walk out on her one day. Not because she played around, he didn't care one way or the other, but because he simply wasn't comfortable with being married. Well, she'd not only prepared herself mentally, she'd prepared financially as well, and she'd be okay.
"I know," she said. "What do you want me to do with your car and your clothes and stuff?"
"I'll send for my clothes and stuff. I've got a company car, so you can sell my car and keep the money. I'm not going to leave you in a bind, Miriam. We'll work out something on support or whatever."
"I'll see a lawyer tomorrow, and he'll be in contact with you soon. It would be more convenient if you'd hire a local lawyer to handle your end of it. Do you like your new job?"
"So far, it's just fine," he said. "You're pretty calm about everything."
She chuckled wryly. "If you were here where it would do some good, I might throw a few things, maybe at you. Since you aren't, all I can do is suck it up and take it in stride. Whatever you might believe, I do love you. It will hurt a while, but I'll get over it and go on with my life."
"Yes, I believe that you love me, in your own way." He paused again, then said, "Well, I guess that's it then. Thanks for making it easier for me."
"You'd better put that sentiment on ice until you hear from my lawyer. Let me know where to send your stuff, and take care of yourself. Good-bye."
She hung up the phone and stared out the window. She swapped her pussy for his promotion, which included a transfer to San Francisco, and he walked out on her. Well, so be it. She'd always wanted to live in San Francisco, but she was a survivor, and she wouldn't let it get her down.
She picked up the phone again and dialed what used to be his local office. "Denise, this is Miriam. Aaron just called me. He's working in San Francisco now, and he's left me."
"I found out a few minutes ago that he'd gone to San Francisco," Denise said. "I didn't know that he'd left you. That's a real bummer."
Miriam laughed without mirth. "Well, I guess it means that we might as well forget about trying to get him to do a trio with us. It didn't come as a complete surprise, and I'll be okay. What about you, do you know who your new boss is?"
"I'm packing my things," Denise said. 'The job was created just for Aaron, to give him management experience before he was promoted, and there's no other job for me. Sandy said that the office is too small to make a place for me."
"Well, shit," Miriam exclaimed softly, "the bastard walked out on both of us! Okay, we'll weather it together. Why don't you pack up your things and move in with me? We can store your furniture in the garage or something until you decide what you want to do with it."
"I rented my apartment furnished, so all I've got is my personal stuff," Denise said.
"Okay, that just makes it easier for you to move."
"Are you sure that you want me to live with you?"
"Damn straight, darling," Miriam said. "I've got big plans for us, and before you know it, we won't care that Aaron walked out on us. Do you need help moving?"
"No, I can take care of it. I don't have that much."
"Okay, you get your pretty little ass in gear and I'll see you soon. We'll burn some steaks and nuke some potatoes for dinner and drink lots of good wine and I'll tell you all about my plans. Then we'll go to bed and lick each other until we scream."
"Well, if I've got to be unemployed, that sounds like the way to do it," Denise laughed.
Miriam took a shower, made a phone call that set her plan in motion, then called Cynthia and had a long talk with her.